Coburg Lodge worthy of support in Birdcatcher

An interesting seven-race card highlighted by the £25,000 Birdcatcher Nursery is a suitable occasion for the unveiling by the…

An interesting seven-race card highlighted by the £25,000 Birdcatcher Nursery is a suitable occasion for the unveiling by the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, of Naas's new £2 million stand tomorrow.

The three-tier stand should be full for the traditionally competitive Birdcatcher and the crowds may find themselves shouting home Cobourg Lodge as the winner.

Jim Gorman's colt won the opening race of the season at the Curragh in March and has done well to retain his form since then. Indeed he looked set to run his best race yet back at the headquarters last weekend but got no sort of run in the closing stages and ended up third to Immovable Option and the highly-rated Rolo Tomasi.

It was Rolo Tomasi who got the unlucky headlines afterwards but Cobourg Lodge looked equally unfortunate and if he runs up to that sort of form again, he looks potentially well treated here.

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Cobourg Lodge looks well worth a financial interest and at lengthy odds so too does Nasanice in the Listed Retza & Soudavar Garnet Stakes.

David Hanley's Fairyhouse winner finished only fifth in a Listed race at the Curragh last weekend behind Darina but at the turn in, no horse was travelling better. Nasanice has two furlongs less to travel tomorrow and in a race where the top-rated horses like Kitza and Heed My Warning may not run up to their handicap marks, Nasanice could be a value each way bet.

Racing opens with the Tifrums Maiden and on the balance of his form it will be something of a shock if Borromini fails to get off the mark at the fourth attempt. A fourth in the Middle Park Stakes and a second in the Flying Childers represents form that most of his opposition can only aspire to and John Murtagh should pick up another winner here.

Lady Breanne can improve again from her third at the Curragh to take a hand in the fillies' maiden, while the Galway winner Lets Clic Together will appreciate any give in the ground in the Paddy Power Handicap and is preferred to Balla Sola and Yuan.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column